Manufacture of wheels.



B. B. SLICK.

MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 5, 1906.

Patented July 19,1910.

WITNESSES 's (m ls operation.

EDWIN E. SLICK, 0F PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1%, i310.

Application filed December 5, 1906. Serial No. 3%,420.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. SLICK, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in theManufacture of Wheels, of which'the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in. which the figure is a partialsectional plan view illustrating one form. of apparatus for carrying outmy in vention.

My invention relates to the manufacture of wheels, particularly wheelshaving a continuous web joining the hub and rim, 'as in the case ofsteel car wheels.

The object of the invention is to reduce the number of operations .informing steel car wheels, to cheapen the product, and increase theoutput.

The main feature of my invention lies in simultaneously forging thewheel body or web, and rolling the rim to substantially its final form.

The invention further consists in rolling the forging dies during theoperation of forging and rolling the rim; also in carrying out theforging operation at one side only of the wheel during the rotation; andfurther in the steps and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, in which I show a preferred form of apparatus forcarrying out my invention, 2 represents a circular forging die removablysecured to a head '3 which may be formed as part of a hydraulic plunger,a screw, or a shaft supported in stationary bearings. Th s die ispreferably provided with a central punchor pin 4 by which the blank iscentered to the hole formed inthe hub and bodily movement of the blankrelative to the die 2 is thereby prevented; or-it may be employedwithout any such punch, and the punching operation may be carried outeither before or after this In either case, the die 2 is r0- tatablymounted. The opposite die 5 is rotatably mounted with its axis at aslight angle to the axis of the die 2, and its inner forming face isproperly shaped so that at one side it will properly 'coa'ct with thedie 2 to forge and press the metal of the web and hub to the desiredshape. The die 5 is also preferably removably secured on a head orsupport 6 which may be carried on a rotary stem or a hydraulic plungeror other suitable carrier.

One or bothof the dies may be employed to carry out the forgingoperation, and for this purpose may be forced toward the other die by ahydraulic cylinder, by a screw, a wedge mechanism, carrying sufficientpressure thereto to carry out the forging operation. Pressure may beapplied to both sides if desired;

I prefer to positively rot-ate both dies during the forging operationthrough suitable gearing or driving connections. Une of the dies may,however, be rotated by friction with the metal operated upon.

7 is a grooved-forming roller having collars 8, 8 with the body betweenthe collars, and suitably shaped to give the desired form to the rimportion of the wheel. The form of this roller may be varied in many wayswithout departing from my invention, for example, the dies 2 and 5 maybe extended outwardly to inclose or partially inclose the metal actedupon by the roller; and the shape of the roller and the dies maybevaried in many ways in this regard.

The roller 7 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings, and thesehearings may be adjusted to bring the roll closer to or farther from thedies. The bearings may also be carried on an adjustable support orcarrier, and this support or carrier may be provided with a pressuredevice such as a hydraulic cylinder, a screw, or other means for forcingthe roller toward the dies. This pressure or any suitable device fordevice is not necessary however, for the roller inasmuch as the forgingpressure on the die or dies forces the metal outwardly against theshaping roller.

In carrying out my process, the steel blank which may be either cast orof forged metal, or formed from a rolled slab, and either solid orpunched at the center, is placed between the dies, one of which isretracted for this purpose. Pressure is then applied to the support orcarrier of one or both of'the dies, and the driving connections startthe dies into rotation. The pressure applied to the die or dies is madesufficient to reduce the web portion and shape the hub, the metal beingelongated radially during this reduction, and thus forced outwardlyagainst the forming roller. As the operation continues, the web becomesreduced in thickness, and the metal is forced I to the manufacture ofstricted to the manufacture of wheels alone.

out into the tread and flange portions to shape them by theforming'roller. A cen tering pin 4: which acts as a punch may be used onone of the dies which will partly punch the hole in the hub during theforging operation; or the blank may be previously punched, in which casethe pin 4:

may be employed to center the blank during the forging and rollingoperation; or the I 10 r employed for cular contour,

The advantages of my invention result I from the simultaneous forging ofthe blank and imparting pressure to and rolling of its rim portion toshape. The number of steps and the number of handlings of the blank arethus greatly reduced, and the operations if desired can easily becarried out at one heat. Owing to the ressure being applied at oneportion 0 the blank only, in the preferred form, the forging operationmay be more easily carried out, and with lower pressure than if thepressure were applied through all portions of the blank simultaneously.The angular position of the dies relative to each other also enables themetal to flow more freely, while therotating tends to distribute themetal evenly throughout the section and presents the successive portionsof the rim to the forming roller.

By properly shaping the dies, ribs may be'formed upon either or bothfaces of the web during the forging operation, thus allowing a reductionin the weight of the wheel by allowing a thinner web to be employed. Oneof the dies may be stationary and the other die may be rocked in such amanner that the axis of its shaft describes a cone whose apex is towardthe blank, thus forging the successive port-ions of the blank,

as the one die rocks around it.

Many other variations may be made in the shape and arrangement of theforging dies, the shaping roller, the means for rotating the dies, etc.,without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim 2-- 1. The method of forming wheels consisting in rolling theblank between rotating forming surfaces on the ends of shafts Whose axesextend at an angle to each other, keeping the axis of the blankparallelwith that of one of said forming surfaces, applying for ing premurethrough at-l east one of sai surfaces to reduce successive portions ofthe web -and shaping the radially adjoining rim portion of the blankwith a shaping roller; substantially as described.

keeping the axis of the blank parallel to eeaoae 2. The method offorming wheels consisting in rolling the blank between rotating formingsurfaces on the ends of shafts whose axes extend at an angle to eachother,

one of said forming surfaces and rolling the rim portion tothe desiredform with a shaping roller; substantially as described.

3. The method of forming wheels consisting in rolling the blank betweenrotating:

forming surfaces on the ends of shafts whose axes extend at an angle toeach other,.keeping the axis of the blank parallel with that of one ofsaid forming surfaces, applying forging pressure through at least one ofsaid surfaces to reduce successive portions of the web and shaping therim of the blank vwith a shaping roller; substantially as described.

4. The method of forming wheels consisting in rolling the blank betweenrotating forming surfaces on the ends of shafts whose axes extend at anangle to each other, keeping the axis of the blank parallel with that ofone of said forming surfaces, advancing the forming faces toward eachother to reduce the thickness of successive portions; of

the Web and shaping the rim portion of the blank with a shaping roller;substantially as described. i p

5. Apparatus for forming wheels come prising relatively movable rotaryformin dies on the ends of shafts whose axes exten at an angle to eachother and a shaping roller whose axis is parallel with the axis of 100one of said dies arranged to act on the rim portion of the blank;substantially as described.

6. Apparatus for forming wheels comprising relatively movable rotatingforming 105' dies on the ends of shafts whoseaxes extend at an angle toeach other, and a flanged shaping-roller whose axis is parallel with theaxis of one of said dies arranged to act on the rim portion of theblank; substan- I10 tially as described.

7. Apparatus for forming wheels, com prising relatively movable rotaryforming dies on the ends of shafts whose axes extend atan angle toroller whose forming face is substantially parallel with the .axis ofone of said dies arranged to act on the rim portion of the blank;substantially as described.

8. Apparatus prising relatively adjustable shafts having forming diesurfaces on theiradjacent ends, and a shaping roller on one side of saidshafts, the axes of one shaft and the sha ing roller being parallel andforming surfaces whose axes extendat an lao each other, and a shapingfor forming wheels comat an ang e .to the axis of the other of saidshafts; subeeaoea oblique angle to each other and whose pressure isexerted lengthwise of the said axes, keeping the axis of the blank andthat of one of said forming surfaces extending in the same direction,applying forging pres sure through at least one of said surfaces toreduce successive portions of the Web, and shaping the radiallyadjoining rini portion of the blank with a shaping roller; substantiallyas described.

10. The method of forming wheels, consisting in rolling the blankbetween rotating forming surfaces whose axes extend at an angle to eachother and whose pressure is exerted upon the blank lengthwise of thesaid axes, keeping the axis of the blank and that of one of said formingsurfaces extending in the same direction, applying forging pressurethrough at least one of said surfaces to reduce successive portions ofthe web, and shaping the radially adjoining rirn portion of the blankwith a shaping roller; substantially as described.

.11., The method of forming wheels, consisting in forging succemiveportions of a blank between rotating dies whose axes extend at anoblique angle to each. other and shaping the rim portion of the blankwith. a shaping roller having its axis parallel to that of one of saiddies; substantially as described 12. The method of formin wheels, consisting in roller forging the b ank by pressing against successiveradial portions thereof, a forming surface having line contact therewithwhose axes extend at an oblique angle to the axis of the blank, holdingthe blank in position by an opposing die and in surface contacttherewith, shaping the rim portion of the blank with a shaping roll, andcausing a relative approach of the forming surface, shaping roll and diedurin the fogging operation; substantially as described ii The method offorming Wheels, con.-

sistiu in roller for in the blank b Jressing against successive radialportions there of, a forming surface having line contacttherewith whoseaxis extends at an oblique angle to the axis of the blank, holding theblank in position by an opposing die and in surface contact therewith,shaping the rim portion of the blank with a shaping roll hav ing itsaxis parallel with that of the holding (lie, and musing a relativeapproach of the forming surface, shaping roll. and die during :iwforging operation; substantially as de- Nlllll ll.

of the Ell l axes and causing the axes of the blank to extend in thesame direction as that of one of said forming surfaces andsimultaneously rolling the rim portions to the desired form with ashaping roller having its axis parallel to that of one of said surfaces;substantially as described 15. Apparatus for forming wheels, comprisingrelatively movable rotary forming dies whose axes extend at an obliqueangle to each other, and a shaping roller whose axis is oarallel to theaxis of one of said dies and arranged to act on the rim portion of theblank; substantially as described.

16,. Apparatus for shaping metal, coinrising rotating opposing endforming dies iaving their axes extending at an oblique angle to eachother and relatively movable endwise, and a shaping roller at one sideof said dies having its axis parallel to that of one of the dies;substantially as described,

17. The method of forming wheels, consisting in rolling the blankbetween rotary dies whose axes extend at an oblique angle to each other,centering the blank and hold ing its axis parallel to that of one ofsaid dies and forcing at least one of the diesto= ward. the other duringthe reduction of the blank; substantially as described.

in apparatus for forming metal, a pair of rotatable and relativelyendwise movable dies whose axes extend at an angle to each other and acentering pin on one of the dies, the axes of the die and pin being inalinement; substantially as described.

Apparatus for shaping metal. comprising rotary and relatively endwisemovable forging dies arranged to shape the blank,

the axes of said dies extending at an angle to each other, and means forcentering the blanks in one of said dies; substantially as described 20,The method of forming wheels, consisting in rollerforging the blankbetween end opposing die faces having their axes out of alinernent,supporting the blank and holding its center against radial bodilymovement, causing the approach endwise of said die faces, and causingatleast one of said die faces to rotate; substantially as described,

21., Apparatus for forging wheels comprising rotary and relativelyendwise movable dies, said dies having their axes out of alinement and acentering pin arranged to support and hold the blank against radialbodily movementduring the forging operation; substantially as described.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. I

EDWIN E. SlllCli'. iiitnesses ll. l). Lrr'rLE, H. M, Couwm.

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